As we near President Trump’s 100th day in office we wanted to know: How do you think it’s going? USA TODAY Forum participants shared their opinions.
April 30 marks 100 days of the second Trump administration – and what a whirlwind it’s been.
President Donald Trump has signed more than 130 executive orders in just over three months, surpassing President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s long-reigning record of 99. With those orders, Trump focused on rhetoric and promises he made throughout his reelection campaign: from birthright citizenship and immigration, to DEI and women’s sports, to trade wars and tariff policies.
Between yo-yoing markets, ongoing protests, endless DOGE-ing and an inactive Congress, the start of Trump’s second term has been equal parts tumultuous and transitional – a reimagination of America.
As part of USA TODAY’s Forum, we asked you how you felt about what’s happened so far, and what you anticipate coming next. We wanted to know if you think America is better off, if Trump is focusing on the right issues with his policies or if he needs to correct course. Hundreds of readers responded – some voted for Trump, others did not. Read a collection of those answers below.
What President Trump lacks in tact, he’s making up for in real policy
We have been rudderless for the last four years. Our former president was unfit to serve for much of his term. Huge numbers of unvetted people have been streaming across our borders. These illegal immigrants from all over the world have been given special treatment and privileges, while citizens like our veterans and others in need have largely been ignored.
The national deficit has soared. Our government has allocated huge sums of money for pointless programs in foreign countries. Lawlessness in our cities has been commonplace. And the former party in control routinely communicated that it knew what was best for the nation as opposed to representing the will of the people. All of this is beginning to change.
Our southern border is more secure. With DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency), we’re finally examining the extensive waste and corruption that routinely takes place within the federal government. Trump is the first president in recent years to take the national deficit seriously and act to address it. The rule of law is slowly returning to some of our cities, and we’re taking measures to address the unfairness that has long existed in many of our trade agreements with foreign nations. Plus, we’re putting the kibosh on the cancerous effects of wokeism and the cancel culture created to silence anyone who doesn’t agree with it.
I don’t like Trump’s occasional lack of diplomacy and tact in addressing those at home and abroad who disagree with him. I don’t care for the repeated demeaning characterizations of his predecessor. However, some of this discourtesy appears to be premeditated. For example, Trump will sometimes introduce an idea (such as the appropriation of Canada as our 51st state) as a means to create controversy to distract from more serious policy concerns, and it has worked. As a result, more Americans know about Trump’s efforts to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico than what he has been doing regarding the Hamas kidnappings since taking office.
Obviously, it will take time to encourage businesses to relocate to the United States, and this will require continuing support from future presidential administrations, but Trump is beginning to establish the foundations for this effort.
I would like to see the federal government dismantle the Department of Education and let the states make decisions about school curricula and funding. Since the department’s creation in 1979, national math and English test scores have not improved. I’d like to see the enormous amount of money saved by this effort redirected to address domestic infrastructure projects involving highways, bridges, the rail system, airports and the air traffic control system.
— John Perkinson, Herndon, Virginia
After only 100 days, Trump has brought America to the cusp of a breakdown
The United States is on the cusp of complete breakdown due to the deliberate dismantling of our society and democracy by Donald Trump, his administration, the architects of Project 2025 and hatchet man Elon Musk.
I cannot think of anything that Trump is doing that I support, with the possible exception of getting rid of the penny. But even in that, he has no idea of how to do it responsibly.
I am deeply concerned by the shuttering of USAID (the U.S. Agency for International Development), the withdrawal of temporary protected status for thousands of vulnerable refugees, the terror campaign against immigrants, the attack on all our democratic institutions and government agencies, the irrational hollowing out of dozens of agencies that support the functioning of society like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Federal Aviation Administration, Forest Service, National Park Service, Head Start, the Health and Human Services Department, IRS and so many others. This is a full-scale attack on American society.
Trump has been an abject failure both domestically and internationally. The entire stability of the world is threatened by his incompetence and venality.
— Tatiana Maxwell, Twisp, Washington
Trump is bold and relentless. Media panic is his biggest obstacle.
What I’ve seen in Trump’s first 100 days is bold leadership. He’s unafraid to tackle tough decisions that some around the world will find abrasive. He fights for Americans more than any other president and is tackling issues at a breakneck pace. It’s not easy, but that’s why he’s the guy for it. Relentless!
The tariff issue, though controversial and painful early on, gives America a chance to reset the whole global financial trade while bringing needed jobs and manufacturing infrastructure back to the United States. He did amazing on the border and is still actively working to get undocumented immigrants out of the country. He also wishes to end wars.
The media and people love to blow up everything he does to near-end-of-the-world proportions, which often makes people agitated. If the American public doesn’t have patience and a healthy distrust for every “end of the world” scenario the news media pushes, they could hurt his ability to help set up America for the long term.
As for closing the border and ending illegal immigration, it’s been an amazing success. Now with this 90-day tariff pause, he needs to close as many deals to help settle people’s uneasiness in the market.
If people have a long-term picture, they should not be afraid. Much like the stock market, those who only see what’s happening day to day are the ones who are rushing to panicked judgment. That helps nobody.
I hope Trump will close as many tariff deals and trade talks in the next 90 days. Settle the market with successful negotiations around the globe.
— Bob Phillipp, Fort Wayne, Indiana
What do Trump’s first 100 days look like? Abject suffering and chaos.
The image from Trump’s first 100 days that stands out to me is the wide eyes of starving children from the canceled USAID emergency food assistance programs to countries like Bangladesh and Somalia.
After the initial outcry from cutting off emergency food to millions of children, Musk claimed the contracts were restored and the issue disappeared from the headlines. But in fact, many of the contracts for shipping the emergency food (which are made-in-America enriched peanut butter packets) have not been restored, so much of the food purchased by American taxpayers remains stuck in warehouses, and new contracts for this next year have been quietly canceled.
The chaos of on-again, off-again contracts, the harm to U.S. farmers who supply the food and the cruelty of denying food to starving children around the world are sadly the hallmarks of Trump’s first 100 days.
— Diana Lane, Boulder, Colorado
Trump is doing an amazing, transparent job
Trump is doing an amazing job, and shame on the news media and the Democratic Party for saying otherwise.
This country needed an overhaul. It didn’t happen overnight, and it won’t get fixed overnight. We should be making everything we need here and not depending on other countries for our stuff. I don’t agree with all these injunctions from these rogue judges who think they can tell a president what he can or cannot do.
I support the tariffs, the closed border (finally) and removing illegal immigrants from our country. They weren’t vetted coming in, so why should they be vetted going out?
I’m not worried about Wall Street. I’m worried about what I can’t afford, which is a lot after what Joe Biden and the Democratic Party did over the past four years and more.
I would like him to continue to try to make America great, and I love the transparency!
— Cerissa Fortune, New Castle, Pennsylvania
Trump promised to make life more affordable. I’m still waiting.
Trump is quickly becoming the dictator he has always wanted to be. And his tariff policy will do nothing except hurt the American people. In addition, he has allowed an overzealous individual to bankrupt our federal programs by eliminating seasoned employees, devoted to their posts and the positions held. The threats to Medicaid and Social Security are alarming, taking aim at hurting the most vulnerable citizens in our country.
Every day, there is unsettling news about Trump’s defiance of our courts. The people chosen to lead our Cabinet positions are there not due to their expertise and experience, but only because they do exactly what Trump wants. The past 100 days have been a roller coaster of damage to the reputation of the United States, instilling fear in our allies.
The most alarming trend is our descent into dictatorship. Trump has always admired dictators and seemingly aspired to join them. We are moving in that direction. To date, he has done nothing to improve the daily life of ordinary citizens.
I am very concerned about the economy. As a 78-year-old semi-disabled woman, it has been increasingly difficult to support myself with food prices going up weekly. Instead of enjoying my senior years, I am continuing to work in order to pay bills and provide for myself. Where does this end?
A few things that he promised while campaigning: a decrease in grocery prices, no taxes on Social Security income and a government that is for the people, not for the rich and elites.
— Lucy Hanson, Midlothian, Virginia
Trump is doing his best to undo Biden’s mess
Unlike Biden, Trump is actually a leader. Also in contrast with Biden, Trump is tirelessly and energetically working to benefit our country and its citizens. He has stopped the border crisis, and is working hard to deport criminal illegal immigrants. He is trying to make America energy-independent and is energetically trying to cut government waste, fraud and abuse.
He is supporting Christians and people of faith. He is also supporting our friend Israel. I hope his support for Israel will continue and not peter out. I hope he will be able to fully implement his “America First” agenda and not be hampered or deterred from doing it by rogue judges who are opposing him for political reasons. I hope he will be able to bring about peace in the Middle East for Israel and broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine successfully. I hope he will be able to improve the economic lot of everyday Americans and reverse some of the inflation we have had under the Biden administration.
Trump does still need to help the economy and work on election integrity. I hope he’ll do the mass deportations of the illegal immigrants who flooded into our country due to Biden’s wicked and reckless immigration policies. Continue to press for energy independence. Bring about law and order and justice in our nation.
— Greg Sheryl, Dallas, Texas
Trump’s rage is driving him ‒ and us ‒ into ruin
Trump is beyond description, and his continued assailing the Constitution is destined to sink us all. And there seems to be no one to stop him, which is the most fearful thing for all of us. Nothing he has done or plans to do makes any economic sense.
I know government at all levels needed to be analyzed and shaved down, but to do it in such a nonempathetic way ‒ and seemingly with joy at times ‒ cannot be supported. While immigration should also be looked at closely, there is no reason to treat human beings in the manner in which they have been treated. There is so much hatred and a drive to avenge the wrongs he perceives against him that I’m certain he has given in to all of the rage, and it is affecting his decision-making.
Whatever comes out of his mouth these days makes me concerned. My mother passed in 2023 after going through dementia. I never knew who I would see the next visit I had with her − Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde. She had a way of looking and acting normal for a time, but then, within minutes, she could turn into someone who made no sense and was full of rage. I see the same characteristics in Trump each time he is filmed and speaks. He has to be stopped sooner rather than later.
Trump has accomplished nothing and has only made life worse for everyone. I do not believe he is capable of doing the work that needs to be done. He is too far gone, and it is too late.
— Elain Ellerbe, Flowery Branch, Georgia
